The City of Dammam, located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a remote, almost inhospitable place. The surrounding desert's heat is something to behold, even by Saudi Arabian standards. Lacking in the grandeur of Mecca and Medina, or the opulence of Riyadh, Dammam is in every way its own place. The locals are a rugged bunch, unlike the demure, cosmopolitan folk inhabiting Saudi Arabia's biggest cities. Dammam is the heart of the country, where the locals live as their ancestors have in prior centuries. The Saudi technocrats and the Royals themselves look down upon the denizens of Dammam, calling them simple country folk. The sons and daughters of Dammam live as though the rest of the Saudi nation doesn't exist...
It can be said that the City of Dammam and the Eastern Province itself are to Saudi Arabia what Texas is to the United States of America, and what the Outback is to Australia. A land of enchantment whose locals are quite different from the rest of the country. Of course, this can be said about the heartland of any nation. There simply must be a place and a populace which cares more about the time-honored traditions and cultural ways of the nation than the changes brought by technology and global culture. The people of Dammam have their ways, and that's all which can be said about them...
On this particular morning, Lady Malika Al-Saud woke up, did her prayers and then prepared for whatever the day would bring. The Al-Saud Estate sat on sixty acres of land and was surrounded by an eight-foot metallic fence. The villa, the stables and the shed comprised the entirety of the Estate. After her husband Prince Saloum Al-Saud died during a horse riding accident, Lady Malika found herself profoundly lonely. The couple's adult daughters, Sharifa and Amal, live in the City of Paris, France, with their respective husbands Ali and Mahfouz. Lady Malika is proud to have become a grandmother shortly after her fifty eight birthday, but she feels alone in Dammam.
A lot of wealthy women, whether royalty or not, don't take an active role in the day to day affairs of their domain. Lady Malika isn't like that at all. The tall, chubby and brown-skinned, dark-haired Arabian matron wasn't born into royalty but married into it. Lady Malika's father Mansur was a wealthy Saudi Arabian doctor educated in France and her mother Rima hailed from Mauritania. For this reason, Lady Malika looks a bit different than the average Saudi Arabian Muslim woman. Being biracial means having to navigate a complex identity, especially in a society such as Saudi, where bloodlines matter most. Lady Malika pays attention to what goes on in her domain, and is well known to her workers as a friendly, yet capable woman...
"As Salaam Alaikum, madam," said Halima Osman, smiling pleasantly at Lady Malika. Nodding gently, Malika saluted Halima in return. Indeed, the tall, curvy and dark-skinned, forty-something Somali Muslim woman who had been managing Malika's affairs for the past few years had become her friend and confidante. Three decades ago, Halima Osman and her parents came to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia due to political unrest in Somalia and never left. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a sizeable population of Africans, and Somalis comprise a significant portion of it.
"Walaikum Salaam, my dear," said Lady Malika, and she and Halima exchanged pleasantries before parting ways. Halima summoned her driver Arif and drove into town to resupply the estate with the necessities. Women in Saudi Arabia can drive now, but Halima is a creature of habit. Lady Malika allowed herself a smile as Halima left the property. With a deliberately slow pace, Lady Malika made her way to the stables, where Youssef awaited. Surely enough, Lady Malika found the tall, brown-skinned and handsome young Somali Muslim man taking care of Marduk, the black stallion which had been her late husband Saloum's favorite.
"Good morning," Youssef said pleasantly as Lady Malika approached him. Tall and strongly built, with curly dark hair and chocolate eyes, Youssef is quite handsome and damn well knows it. A lot of the local girls fawn over Youssef for his good looks and rugged masculinity. Of course, more than a few of the local young men also fancy Youssef. Something about unattainable masculinity appeals to both women and men. Youssef is something of a cypher around these parts, and Lady Malika's feelings about him are, well, complicated, to say the least...
"There you are," Lady Malika said, and Youssef nodded gently. He'd been feeding sugar cubes to Marduk the stallion even though this was forbidden. Youssef's fondness for horses is legendary, and the animals love him as well. Youssef has been known to nurse back to robust health the kind of injured horses that other owners and trainers would have given up on. Lady Malika is quite fond of Youssef, even though, not too long ago, she considered him a rival...
